Stabilizing device for ice skates



May 4, 1965 R. T. HODGES STABILIZING DEVICE FOR ICE SKATES Filed Sept.24, 1965 United States Patent 3,181,879 STABELIZING DEVECE FUR ECESKATEd Robert T, Hodges, 556 Logan Ave, llronx, Ni Filed gept. 24, 1963,Ser. No. 311,947 1 Claim. (Cl. 280-1112) This invention relates towinter sports and, more particularly, to a device for the stabilizing ofice skates when one is learning to ice-skate.

While devices for assistance in training people in various sports arequite common in many fields of activity, the use of any devices otherthan perhaps that of a ski pole in training one to i e-skate has notbeen attempted for the simple reason that no particular device has beenmade and produced for the ordinary lover of ice-skating.

As nearly anyone who has ever tried to ice-skate or who has evermastered the art knows, the essence of the art is one-s ability to standupright on the skates; therefore any successful training device willnaturally be one that provides stabilization to the novice inice-skating.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a stabilizingdevice for ice skates that can be quickly removed from the skates afterone has reached that point in the art of ice-skating whereby he does notneed any assistance in standing up on the skates.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing device forice skates that will not in any way interfere with ones normal skating.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing device forice skates that will take up a minimum of space on the skates.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing device forice skates that can be adapted to any make or size of skates Without theuse of an adapter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing device forice skates that consists of only three parts, including its holdingscrew.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizingdevice for ice skates that can be made from many different kinds ofmaterial depending upon how rough the treatment the device will beexpected to take as well as the amount of use to which the device willbe put. The invention can be manufactured from cast bronze, aluminum orsteel for school use or from very hard wood such as lignum vitae or evenplastic if it is to be used only by an individual when learning to iceskate.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claimappended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts throughout the several views, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of this invention.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View of this invention secured in place on anice skate which, along with the lower portion of a skaters foot, isshown in phantom lines.

Referring to the drawing it will be seen that this invention of astabilizing device for ice skates consists of two blocks, namely, aright block 7 and a left block 8 as viewed in FIG. 1 that have identicalconfigurations other than the fact that one is made for the right sideof the ice skate and one is made for the left side of the same skate.Each aforesaid block embodies a vertically disposed portion 9 having afiat side 10 that faces the structure of the ice skate and an outside 11that has its lower end terminating in a concave portion 12 which, inturn, blends into a convex extension portion 13 which terminates in anangularly disposed edge 14. The bottom of each one of the aforesaidblocks is concave at 15, while dd lfl'i l atenteei May t, 1965 ice thelower portion of the inside face of each block is vertical and flat at16 and then is blended into a semi-circular recess 17 that has its upperedge terminating with the intersection of the lower end of the aforesaidflat side 10.

The aforesaid left block 8 is provided with a horizontally disposedinternally threaded opening 18 in the vertically disposed portion 9,that is in perfect alignment with the horizontally disposed opening 19that is provided with a recess 20 for the slidable reception of the capscrew 21 that is placed therein and which engages with the internalthreads of the opening 18 in the aforesaid left block 8 as one can seeon looking at FIGURES 1 and 4 of the drawing where the latter view showsthat the reason for the semi-circular recess 17 in each block is topermit the same to fit around the convex portion of the structure of theice skate to which this invention is secured by the aforesaid cap screw21. The stabilizer device is thus adjustable along the structure of theskate.

As anyone who has even an elementary knowledge of ice-skating can see,when this invention is properly secured to the longitudinal center of anice skate, the invention will not touch the ice so long as the skate isin an upright position, however, should the skaters ankle turn or he orshe otherwise let the skate get out of control and the skate turnsideways, then the angularly disposed edge 14 of one of the two blockswill come into contact with the ice and thereby prevent the skater fromfalling.

it is to be understood that changes in configuration and means ofsecurernent may be made in this invention and that it will still fallwithin the scope and intent of the appended claims and that theinvention is not necessarily to be limited to the material suggested inthe obiects of this invention but that it may in fact be manufacturedfrom any desired materials and/ or combination of materials. Theinvention can, of course, be manufactored in any desired size.

What I now desire to secure by Letters Patent and what I new claim asnew is:

A stabilizing device for ice skates comprising a pair of transverseopposed similar shaped blocks, each block having an upright portionsquare in cross-section with four flat sides, said upright portionshaving aligned openings extending therethrough, opposed flat sideshaving opposed semi-circular recesses therein adjacent one end of saidopposed flat sides, the other opposed sides having laterally extendingcurved extensions, said extensions having concave bottom surfaces, saidlateral extensions terminating in inwardly slanting edges, the opposedsemicircular recesses adapted to receive the convex structure of an iceskate, the flat sides of said adjacent one end thereof adapted to engagethe flat structure of the ice skate, and a screw extending through thealigned openings in said upright portions for clamping the walls of therecesses around the convex structure of an ice skate and for clampingthe flat one end against the fiat structure of the ice skate, wherebythe device may be adjustably slid along the ice skate structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,855 1/17Wachs 2801 1.12 2,920,897 1/60 Jensen 280l1.12 3,120,397 2/64 Lepkofker28011.12

FOREIGN PATENTS 14,125 1909 Great Britain.

A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner.

